"Screech!"
The Blood Condor King swept aside two of its subordinates blocking its path with a flap of its wings and soared into the sky.
A blood-red beam of light slammed down from above, blasting a Shadow Servant that couldn't dodge in time to smithereens, sending countless bloodline treasures scattering across the ground.
At its resounding, commanding cry, the entire flock of Blood Condors immediately found their anchor. The chaos gave way to order as countless condors soared into the sky, circling in a web-like pattern before periodically diving to attack the Shadow Servants.
Though this tactic proved effective, felling a great many Shadow Servants in the process, the remaining intruders were simply too fast. After paying a heavy price in casualties, a portion of the Shadow Servants still managed to break through the encirclement.
"Screech! Screech!"
The Blood Condor King roared in fury and gave chase, with a host of Blood Condors following close behind.
"Found you!"
At that same moment, Leylin also came face to face with his pursuer.
She was a female Wizard with chestnut-red hair, a curvaceous figure, and a golden circlet adorning her forehead. Her narrow eyes were fixed intently on Leylin.
"My name is Leylin. May I have the lady's name?" Facing the other woman's near-flaming gaze, Leylin merely smiled and executed a flawless noble's bow, his form impeccable.
"Tanasha!" The Wizardess clearly hadn't expected Leylin to have the composure for such formalities. Though her chest heaved with indignation, she still maintained her dignity enough to provide her name.
"Are you prepared to surrender?" Tanasha eyed the handsome young man before her. In the Central Continent, there was indeed a custom of ransoming captives, and since he hadn't inflicted significant casualties on her forces, was of the same human race, and had the Ouroboros Ring backing him, it wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Oh! No, no! You've misunderstood!" Leylin's smile was dazzlingly bright. "I just want to ask one thing — do you... like Blood Condors?"
"What do you mean?" Tanasha's mind couldn't make the sudden shift.
Then, she spotted numerous blood-red silhouettes appearing along the horizon, and an immediate sense of dread settled in her heart.
"Petrifying Gaze!" In that very instant, Leylin made his move.
His eyes transformed into a pair of amber-colored vertical pupils, shooting forth enigmatic rays of petrification.
Though it was only a first-rank innate Wizard spell, amplified by his gaseous Spiritual Power and bloodline, the resulting force was not to be underestimated.
At the same time, Leylin rapidly chanted an incantation. Shadows surged up from every direction, coalescing into an enormous cage that temporarily trapped Tanasha within.
"Storm!"
Tanasha's reaction was extraordinarily swift. Almost the very instant the petrification rays appeared, her eyes turned a brilliant silver-white, radiating blinding light that completely deflected the rays.
Simultaneously, a massive ring of stormwinds materialized behind her, coalescing into a tremendous tornado that tore the shadow cage to shreds.
But because Leylin had launched a surprise attack, her movements were involuntarily delayed for a crucial instant.
"Spear of Corrosion!"
A pitch-green spear materialized in Leylin's hands, its tip faintly tinged with white, and he launched it straight at Tanasha at blinding speed, leaving a white streak of compressed air in its wake.
"Who gave you the gall to challenge a crystallised Wizard? You — a mere vapour-stage Wizard?"
Tanasha's expression was blank, but one could tell she was truly furious.
*Crack!*
Tanasha extended her fair, delicate hands, and a translucent layer of keratinous armour now shimmered across her smooth skin.
The Spear of Corrosion, imbued with every ounce of Leylin's power, was caught effortlessly in her grasp.
*Boom!* Tanasha folded her hands sharply, and the Spear of Corrosion shattered into fragments. Leylin's face went deathly pale as he staggered several steps backward.
But at that moment, a triumphant smile crept across his face.
"Hmm?" Tanasha frowned. Only then did she notice that, from the ruins of the shattered spear, a single white feather had drifted into view.
*Pff!* The white feather burst into powder and clung effortlessly to Tanasha's body.
"This is a aura trace? And a powerful locking formula…" Tanasha's brow furrowed, then she sneered: "Something like this, I only need two minutes to—"
But then, her expression changed completely.
She saw Leylin across from her wave a hand, activate a black magical artifact crown, and vanish entirely from sight.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Several dark shadows appeared — the Shadow Servants from before. They surged toward Tanasha at full speed, only to be destroyed by her midway through their charge.
But in the process, they had flung shards of bloodline crystals, bone fragments, and other items to her feet. In particular, a massive bird egg, cracked open by a stone, spilled its yolk and albumen across the ground.
"Chirp! Chirp!"